Westerns The Best Western Movies of the 21st Century

List Rules Vote up your favorite Western films that were released in the 2000s.

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Featuring some of the greatest western films of all time, this is a list of best new western movies made after 2000. As the western genre transitioned into the new millennium, Hollywood continued to play with old western tropes, stories, and characters. For instance, 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, is the second adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s short story of the same name. The film tells the story of a destitute rancher attempting to bring a notorious outlaw to justice. Similarly, another one of the best ‘00s western movies on this list is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The film deals with the actual historical killing of legendary Western gunman and train robber, Jesse James.

This isn’t to say that the present and top ‘00s western movies broke no new ground. There are plenty of inventive and completely novel premises on this list, including the comedy-western Shanghai Noon. The title is of course a play on the Gary Cooper classicHigh Noon, but the plot is anything but similar. Starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, the film follows the pair as they traipse across the Old West, shooting, kicking, and tricking all the bad guys in their path. Vote up your favorite western movie from the 2000s below, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comment section. Other good westerns released since 2000 include Bone Tomahawk, Django Unchained, True Grit, and Tbe Hateful Eight.

list ordered by

1

1,280 413

Open RangeKevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening Open Range is a 2003 American western film directed and co-produced by Kevin Costner, starring Robert Duvall and Costner, with Annette Bening and Michael Gambon appearing in supporting roles. ...more

2

992 432

3:10 to YumaChristian Bale, Russell Crowe, Logan Lerman 3:10 to Yuma is a 2007 western film directed by James Mangold and produced by Cathy Konrad, and stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in the lead roles, with supporting performances by Peter ...more

3

367 96

Diaz Diana added The Magnificent SevenSteve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn The Magnificent Seven is an American western film directed by John Sturges and starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach and Steve McQueen. The picture is an Old West-style remake of Akira Kurosawa's ...more

4

812 399

Broken TrailRobert Duvall, Thomas Haden Church, Greta Scacchi Broken Trail is a 2006 Western miniseries directed by Walter Hill and starring Robert Duvall and Thomas Haden Church. Written by Alan Geoffrion, who also wrote the novel, the story is about an ...more

6

766 408

AppaloosaRenée Zellweger, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons Appaloosa is an American western based on the 2005 novel, Appaloosa, by writer Robert B. Parker. Directed by Ed Harris and co-written by Harris and Robert Knott, Appaloosa stars Harris alongside ...more

7

767 414

The AlamoEmily Deschanel, Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid The Alamo is a 2004 American film about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by Texan John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark ...more

8

664 398

Bury My Heart at Wounded KneeAnna Paquin, J.K. Simmons, Aidan Quinn This film is a 2007 television film adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown. The film was written by Daniel Giat, directed by Yves Simoneau and produced by HBO Films. The book on ...more

9

921 607

Esavi added True GritJeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin True Grit is a 2010 American Revisionist Western film directed by the Coen brothers, based on the 1968 novel by Charles Portis. A stubborn teenager (Hailee Steinfeld) enlists the help of a tough ...more

10

606 376

Tom Islava added There Will Be BloodDaniel Day-Lewis, Ciarán Hinds, Paul Dano There Will Be Blood is a 2007 American epic drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano. The film was inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel ...more

11

562 360

The MissingCate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Val Kilmer The Missing is a 2003 American Revisionist Western thriller film directed by Ron Howard, based on Thomas Eidson's 1996 novel The Last Ride. The film is set in 1885 New Mexico Territory is ...more

12

217 88

Diaz Diana added The RevenantLeonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson The Revenant is a 2015 American semi-biographical epic western film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. A frontiersman (Leonardo DiCaprio) on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s ...more

13

486 314

Crossfire TrailTom Selleck, Mark Harmon, Christian Kane Crossfire Trail is a 2001 Western film directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Virginia Madsen, and Wilford Brimley. Based on the 1954 Louis L'Amour Western novel of the same name, ...more

14

547 365

Cold MountainNatalie Portman, Nicole Kidman, Jude Law Cold Mountain is a 2003 epic drama film written and directed by Anthony Minghella. The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Charles Frazier. It stars Jude Law, Nicole ...more

15

557 406

Seraphim FallsPierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Angie Harmon Seraphim Falls is a 2006 American revenge film directed by television producer and director David Von Ancken in his first feature film. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by ...more

16

185 87

No Country for Old MenJavier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American neo-western neo-noir thriller film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy. Mayhem ensue after a hunter (Josh Brolin) ...more

17

450 337

Monte WalshTom Selleck, Isabella Rossellini, Jack Palance Monte Walsh is a 2003 Western television film directed by Simon Wincer and starring Tom Selleck, Isabella Rosellini, and Keith Carradine. Loosely based on the 1963 Western novel Monte Walsh by ...more

18

193 103

Django UnchainedLeonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film directed by Quentin Tarantino. With the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz), a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) sets out to ...more

19

464 368

anne flynn added Ned KellyNaomi Watts, Orlando Bloom, Heath Ledger Ned Kelly is a 2003 Australian historical drama film directed by Gregor Jordan from a screenplay by John Michael McDonagh. The film portrays the life of Ned Kelly — a legendary bushranger in ...more

20

430 363

The PropositionJohn Hurt, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson The Proposition is a 2005 Australian western film directed by John Hillcoat and written by screenwriter and musician Nick Cave. It stars Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, John Hurt, Danny ...more

21

436 369

The ClaimMilla Jovovich, Nastassja Kinski, Sarah Polley The Claim is a 2000 British Western/romance film directed by Michael Winterbottom. The screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce is loosely based on the novel The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy. ...more

22

401 350

anne flynn added The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert AdamsMickey Rooney, Tippi Hedren, Lee Majors The Last Confederate: The Story of Robert Adams is a 2007 film starring Julian Adams, Amy Redford, Gwendolyn Edwards, Eric Holloway, Joshua Lindsey, and Mickey Rooney, Tippi Hedren about the ...more

23

378 343

gerard flynn added The OutsiderNaomi Watts, David Carradine, John Noble The Outsider is a 2002 Western film starring Tim Daly and Naomi Watts. The film is based on Penelope Williamson's novel. Similar to Angel and the Badman where John Wayne plays a wounded outlaw ...more

24

113 64

Lswood added The Hateful EightSamuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh The Hateful Eight is a 2015 American Western film directed by Quentin Tarantino. In a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) and his prisoner (Jennifer Jason Leigh) find shelter in a ...more

25

331 354

Shanghai NoonLucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson Shanghai Noon is a 2000 American-Hong Kong action comedy western film starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. The film, marking the directorial debut of Tom Dey, was written by Alfred Gough and ...more